First time moving to PR, family of 5

Hello Clay,

We were stationed in PR from 2013-2016 and lived in both Old San Juan and military housing in Bayamón.  One of the best things we did before our move was to go down a few weeks early to secure our housing.  It's very difficult to do things online and over the phone.  One of the key recommendations on this forum is 'boots on the ground', and I couldn't agree more.

Not sure if this will help, but you may find some listings in military-specific real estate websites.  Typically they prefer to rent to a military family, but might consider your situation.

I helped write a 'Helpful Hints' document to serve as a resource for incoming military members - I'd be happy to share that with you along with other military-specific information about PR.  Feel free to contact me via PM if you'd like.

Fort B MWR offers quite a bit of deals on local attractions and other events in PR.  You also may want to sign up for Gustazos (similar to Groupon) for more discounts and deals on things in PR.  We used this all the time.

Hope this helps!

Thanks Trekrider.  I would love to see your helpful tips.  To clarify, I am Military.  From what I've been seeing, there is no military housing but maybe I am getting bad information.  Is it on post housing managed by a housing office?  On that note, did you prefer on post or off?

Good tip in planning a recon trip.  We will add that to our summer plans.

We are USCG, so not sure how the Army handles incoming PCS moves.  There are certainly pros and cons to living on base and off, but in the long run, the benefits (for us) of living on base outweighed living in town.  I'll PM you a copy of the Helpful Hints document.

Have you been assigned a sponsor?  They are usually really good sources of information and can help point you in the right direction regarding the all the nuances about life in PR.

Trekrider, I sent you an email.
What about the vehicle situation?  Should I opt for a smaller, more sensible car or ship one of my vehicles (F150 or Yukon)-- I think the Army will ship only one.

We shipped our Honda Element and glad we did - many of the roads are in rough shape. Once we got to the island, my wife bought an island car from a PCSing co-worker for her daily commute to base. We eventually sold it before we left.  From what I remember, Fort B had a used car lot if you are interested in doing something similar. As a military member you're allowed to keep your tags and registration (and drivers licenses)  for the vehicle you ship as well.

I suggest you visit before making any decisions.

most homes here are in URBANIZACIONES.... gated communities... there are hundreds of them based on your budget.  most places are not more than 30 minutes from the mountains or the ocean.
Get a realtor you can trust to show you the variety of homes and communities.
A very popular area is GUAYNABO which is very spread out.   You have a major mall, an excellent private school or two ,  in GUAYNABO  there are areas such as Los Filtros, Torremar, San Patricio, Bucare, and many more.

Thank you all for your comments so far.  This forum is a great resource.

Have any of you shifted from single family home living to condo/ resort- style living in PR?  If so, what have been your impressions or pros and cons as well as mentioning where (which city) you chose to live in.

I've always lived in a single family home and, with three children, have never really considered condo living but we would love to be near the ocean, and have access to amenities.

While we have not transitioned from a single family home to a condo, we do have friends who have.

They have indicated a few issues with the transition.

Living in a condo is impacted by the type of neighbors  you have - quiet and courteous neighbors are important, loud and obnoxious neighbors can really be a PITB.

Generally, weekdays are quite, but holiday weekends bring lots of visitors and relatives who over load the building and pool.  Loud and boisterous children can be a problem.

Maintenance issues can be an issue, if management is not prompt to correct a leak, repair the elevator, or other defects, it can be a royal PITA.

Just my observations based on our friends experience living in a condominium. 

Recommend renting before purchasing.  😎

HI Claybonz,
I think you are also in the FB group, I seen an entry very similar to yours.

Any way, my recommendations is to rent a place around Dorado, your 3,500 a month housing budget is HUGE. I pay 600 a month plus utilities for a 3 bedroom house away from Dorado. But the Dorado life style is likely to fit in with you.

Hello Claybonz! I wanted to reach out to see if you've had any luck figuring out housing yet. Your situation is almost identical to my family- husband in the military with 3 kids and dog in tow and same housing budget. We are looking in guaynabo and dorado area as well. We've never been to PR, so it's hard to get a feel for traffic/commute times to fort buchanan. I'm so thankful you made this post because it has also helped us with some decision making!

Those of you in the millitary, should have a sponsor, use it to get information about schools, housing and temporary housing. Every bit of info helps.

Thanks, Reyp! We do have a sponsor, POC with realtor info, and all the info regarding an OCONUS move. We are just trying to gather all the information we can, so we are able to make an informed decision about everything! I love having this as a resource as well. Thanks again!

Jmo123 wrote:

Thanks, Reyp! We do have a sponsor, POC with realtor info, and all the info regarding an OCONUS move. We are just trying to gather all the information we can, so we are able to make an informed decision about everything! I love having this as a resource as well. Thanks again!

Well we are here to help, so ask away.

Might i suggest finding a facebook page for fort Buchanan.   Theres one for the coast guards in aguadilla,  so i assume you will find one for  fort Buchanan as well

That is always my go to for spouse info, but I cannot find one. I have some general spouse pages that I follow which can give me some info, but I would love to find one with more firsthand info. Hoping I somehow stumble upon one- maybe when we get there if nothing else! I appreciate the idea though! Thank you.

Hello, I'm new to this site and to PR. I still live in Oregon, but after visiting PR on business trip, I decided to buy property for retirement time. I decided to go with the penthouse at Ocean Club at Seven Seas, Fajardo and is very happy with my purchase. Now, after all friends and family members had a chance to vacation there, I can rent the place out. Place is furnished, new kitchen, 2 levels, 2800 sq ft. Let me know if anyone is interested. I know I will have so many questions when will get time to move to PR, but it's not on the horizon yet. Look forward to it😁🍹🍸🍷🍺🥂

Olgahice wrote:

Hello, I'm new to this site and to PR. I still live in Oregon, but after visiting PR on business trip, I decided to buy property for retirement time. I decided to go with the penthouse at Ocean Club at Seven Seas, Fajardo and is very happy with my purchase. Now, after all friends and family members had a chance to vacation there, I can rent the place out. Place is furnished, new kitchen, 2 levels, 2800 sq ft. Let me know if anyone is interested. I know I will have so many questions when will get time to move to PR, but it's not on the horizon yet. Look forward to it😁🍹🍸🍷🍺🥂

Welcome to the forum,
You should not be offering your place in the forum. You should look at HomeAway or AirBnb and other companies that advertise your place. You will also need a company or individuals to clean the place and do maintenance after every rental, obviously this would make it more expensive for you but it would eliminate the need to come to the island to handle rentals.

Thank you, and I didn't mean to advertise, but saw a post from folks looking for place to stay. I do have PM company providing all services you have listed, so renting is not a concern. I rather feel that folks who are moving to PR really don't look at MLS. I wouldn't know if wouldn't have a the property manager. Sorry for breaking a rule. Love the country, live people in PR.

Olgahice wrote:

Thank you, and I didn't mean to advertise, but saw a post from folks looking for place to stay. I do have PM company providing all services you have listed, so renting is not a concern. I rather feel that folks who are moving to PR really don't look at MLS. I wouldn't know if wouldn't have a the property manager. Sorry for breaking a rule. Love the country, live people in PR.

Very few sellers or realtors use MLS, in PR is basically useless due to having very few listings.

@claybonz how is PR? Im looking at making the transition as a DOD civilian. Im retired Army